Lufthansa strike clogs German airport

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FRANKFURT, Germany, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Frankfurt, Germany, airport operator Fraport said a Deutsche Lufthansa strike had disrupted other airlines, as too many planes were stuck on the tarmac.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Europe's largest airline, in terms of number of passengers carried, had been hit by a half-day flight attendants strike.

That had left so many planes on the airport's tarmac that Fraport said flights from other airports that had not yet taken off would not be permitted to land.

Lufthansa cabin crew members went on strike for better pay and work conditions.

Nicoley Baublies, the head of the UFO union in Germany, said 9,000 passengers had been affected by the strike. The union had turned down an invitation to get back to the bargaining table, Baublies said.

In total, 360 out of 700 Lufthansa flights scheduled for Friday fell within the 8-hour strike period. The airline canceled 190 of those flights, the Journal said.